Subject: BARRED OWLS IN WASHINGTON
Date: Jun 14 12:41:02 2001
From: Wile, Mike - mike.wile at attws.com



I have had barred owls in my backyard in Redmond 2 or 3 times and consider
them to be highlights of my yard list. Keep 'em coming!
Mike Wile
Finance IT
work: 425-580-7704
cell:425-503-5766


-----Original Message-----
From: WAYNE WEBER [mailto:contopus at home.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 12:24 PM
To: TWEETERS
Cc: JAMIE ACKER; WILLIAM WOODS
Subject: BARRED OWLS IN WASHINGTON


Tweeters,

Jamie Acker's recent message about Barred Owls struck me as being
harsh and biased. I thought we had gotten past the days of
classifying animals into "good" and "bad" species. Jamie seems to be
trying very hard to convince us that Barred Owls belong in the ":bad"
category.

First of all, the comparison between Barred Owls and English Ivy is
inappropriate. Barred Owls may be a recent arrival in Washington
(first recorded in 1965), but unlike English Ivy, House Sparrows, and
European Starlings, they are not an introduced species. They are a
native North American species that spread westward into the Pacific
Northwest without any direct assistance from man.

It seems quite certain that Barred Owls did have indirect assistance
from man in getting established in Washington (and B.C. and Oregon).
That assistance came in the form of massive habitat changes caused by
logging. Barred Owls generally prefer broadleaf forest or mixed forest
rather than pure conifer forest. The countless square miles of
second-growth broadleaf and mixed forest in western Washington
resulting from regrowth after logging have, in many cases, turned into
ideal Barred Owl habitat. However, even without logging, Barred Owls
might be here anyway, but in smaller numbers.

Jamie is certainly correct in suggesting that Barred Owls prey on
Western Screech-Owls, and have caused population declines of
Screech-Owls in some areas. They have also had negative impacts on
Spotted Owls, both through excluding Spotted Owls from some areas of
suitable habitat, and through hybridization (the so-called "Sparred
Owl"), although the latter seems to be rare. However, it is my
distinct impression that Barred Owls generally do not occupy large
areas of old-growth forest in western Washington, and are more likely
to displace Spotted Owls from small areas of old-growth or from
marginal habitats. Someone who has done research on the 2 species in
Washington could answer this question better than I.

At any rate, the main factor in decline of Spotted Owls is loss of
old-growth forest caused by forest clearing for urban development,
agriculture, and logging. Barred Owls have had far less impact than
habitat destruction on Spotted Owls. Let's put the blame where it
belongs-- on Homo sapiens, not on Barred Owls.

It is likely that Spotted Owls (and Western Screech-Owls) will never
reoccupy many areas of western Washington where they have disappeared.
(For Screech-Owls, loss of nesting cavities is probably as important a
factor as Barred Owl predation.) Rather than condemning Barred Owls--
which are just doing what Barred Owls ordinarily do-- let's enjoy them
as a unique and fascinating wildlife species. Barred Owls in or near
your backyard are a lot better than no owls at all.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, BC
contopus at home.com



----- Original Message -----
From: Jamie Acker <biowler1 at juno.com>
To: <wwwbike at halcyon.com>
Cc: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2001 9:18 AM
Subject: Re: Barred Owls


> Bill & Tweeters
>
> Barred Owls are not something to be "thrilled" about in the Pacific
> Northwest, maybe unless you also like English Ivy.
>
> The species is taking over the PNW. I have witnessed, from the
first
> sighting on Bainbridge Island in 1993, to present, an increase from
one
> individual to 23+ birds. At the same time, human population has
> increased from 15K to 20K. To be suceessful, the species has
displaced
> other species, as well as to fill an open niche created by the human
> population. The Western Screech Owl population here on the Island
has
> taken a downward plunge, while the Great-horned Owl population had
taken
> the same course until this year.
>
> Barred Owls eat almost anything smaller than them that moves, and
since
> during the breeding season they are diurnal as well as nocturnal,
they
> have a large prey base. This year I have found a young oppossum in
a
> nest, for a first. 'Possums used to be uncommon on the Island. The
> typical fare of Barred Owls is rats and crows, both of which have
fared
> well with humans.
>
> More importantly than to Bainbridge Island, the Barred Owl is an
> extremely serious threat to the Spotted Owl here in the PNW. The
Barred
> Owl requires about 25% of the range that a Spotted Owl requires due
to
> its larger prey base, and will accept virtually the same habitat.
In
> engineering terms, this makes the Barred Owl 4x as efficient as a
> Spotted Owl. Efficiency will prevail in the long term.
>
> So, when you hear the call of the Barred Owl, know that something
has not
> been gained, but lost from your environment.
>
> Incidently, the hoo-hoo-HOO-awww call, sometimes just "HOO-awww"
> (different from the "traditional call") is generally given from a
bird
> that has been angered or trespassed, or is asserting territory.
The
> traditional " Who cooks for you, who cooks for youall" is primarily
used
> earlier in the season prior to eggs being laid. Barred Owls are
just now
> starting to become more vocal as the young have been fledged for
several
> weeks. They will respond with the traditional call now.
>
> Jamie Acker
> Bainbridge Island
> BIowler1 at juno.com
>
>